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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Speak Lord!

“Then the angel of the
LORD came and sat…as…Gideon was beating out wheat…The angel of the LORD
appeared to him” Judges 6:11.

I’ll never forget when
my sister and I were young teens and we were in the bathroom ‘discussing’ our
sweet mother. But the discussion was anything but sweet as we were
complaining about something she had done or said. At some point during
our discussion I noticed her reflection in the mirror realizing that she had
walked up upon our complaining. We were both mortified to know she had
heard us.

We find Gideon in the
same situation. He was hiding in the wine press trying to separate
the chaff from the wheat. He had done this mundane job a million times
and had lost everything a million times because of the repeated attacks from
the Midianites. He was exhausted and discouraged knowing that as soon as
he gathered the enemy would steal it. Gideon was not at work praying for
God to help him. He was not on bended knees begging for God’s protection
from the Midianites, and he certainly was not in deep worship praising God for
his blessings. In fact, it could be that God was the last thing on Gideon’s
mind. He had a job to do and was doing it – the same mundane job he did
every day trying to protect his resources from the same old enemy.
I was considering the scene…the angel of the LORD, God’s presence, showing
up and sitting down right next to the frustrated and fearful man. I can
just hear Gideon’s self talk, ‘I’m going to lose everything! I am so sick
and tired of this same old challenge! Why me? Why now? Will
this enemy ever be destroyed?’ And there was God…right beside him…with
him…unnoticed…unrecognized …watching Gideon’s striving and toiling
knowing how his future would turn out. We are not told how long it was
between the entrance of God and the appearance of God. One thing for
sure…God got an earful most likely just like my mom.

Throughout the Bible, it
is written that God’s presence became recognizable to his people as they were
working. ‘Now Moses was tending the flock…There the angel of the LORD
appeared’Exodus 3:1-2. ‘Samuel was laying down in the temple of
the LORD, where the ark of God was…Then the LORD called to Samuel’ 1
Sam 3:3-4. ‘And there were shepherds…keeping watch over their
flock…And the angel of the LORD appeared.’ Luke 2:8. In each instance
God was with them, whether at work, home or church before they ever realized His
presence. The same is with every one of us. We go about our day
with our destructive self-talk and grumbling spirit. We climb in our car
and say things we would never say in public. We sit in our homes and
think unlovely things about people. We are thankful that no one can see
into our ungrateful hearts. And yet…the angel of the Lord
comes and sits…in our cars…in our homes…at our workplace. We do not
have a Father who is far away from us, but One who sits among us and
anticipates our needs and comforts moment by moment. We are never alone
in our surroundings but are surrounded with the omnipresent power of God.
Our future is His memory, so why in the world do we fret and worry?

Lord, help us pray the
same prayer of little Samuel when you appeared to him, ‘Speak LORD for your
servant is listening’ 1 Sam 3:10. May we have a heart like Mary’s
after the angel of the LORD appeared to her, ‘May it be to me as you have
said’ Luke 1:38.